Opening on 30 June, Canal - so named because it overlooks the Grand Union Canal - is the latest venture from HAM Restaurant Group, which operates Crispin in Spitalfields, Bar Crispin in Soho, Bistro Freddie in Shoreditch, and Crispin at Studio Voltaire in Clapham and marks the debut of Quality Projects - a dedicated special projects and consultancy business founded by HAM founder Dominic Hamdy.
The restaurant will be located within Mason & Fifth’s newest project in Taxi House - once the headquarters of the London Taxi Drivers’ Association and will accommodate up to 70 guests inside with further seating on its waterside terrace.
Open from breakfast through dinner, Canal’s kitchen will be led by New York-born chef Adrian Hernandez Farina, whose experience includes time at Humo, Luca, Coal Rooms, ASKA in New York, and The French Laundry in California.
He has developed a bistro-style menu that highlights seasonal British and European produce, with dishes to include snacks of polenta flatbreads with seasonal butters; Coombeshead Farm ham; Portland crab doughnuts; starters such as trombetta courgette with stracciatella and pangrattato; and sabream crudo with burnt blood orange and chilli and larger plates of ricotta agnolotti with cavolo nero and pecorino; and red mullet with bouillabaisse, mussels and Mangalitza sausage.
There will also be sharing options lik Cornish John dory with lemon dill butter and monksbeard; and Jersey sirloin with brown butter jus, béarnaise and potatoes.
The venue is partnering with east London’s A Bar with Shapes for a Name, currently ranked number 35 on the World’s 50 Best Bars list, which has developed a range of cocktails on tap, including a brown butter old fashioned; and an orange wine margarita.
Canal’s European focused wine list, meanwhile, will showcase classic regions and progressive producers.
“Canal marks the exciting debut of Quality Projects and our very first venture into west London,” says Hamdy.
“With Canal, we’ve set out to create a place that is rooted in generous hospitality with an urban Riviera feel.
“Collaborating with the Mason & Fifth team has been a dream, and we can’t wait to open the doors this June.”